Female Illiteracy Rate: Situation and Trends

The female illiteracy rate in Mozambique, though still high, has decreased in the course of time. In 2004 it was 66.2% and it dropped to 56% in 2009. Though it is one of the gender indicators, there is no nationally set goal for 2015.

Between 2007 and 2009 there was an increase of 60% of the rate of women’s participation in adult literacy classes.
Literacy programmes by radio were offered in all provinces covering 245,771 participants, of which 78% are women (192,758 women).
Women are in general the major beneficiaries of literacy programmes in all provinces and have the highest presence in the Adult Literacy Centres.
MICS 2008 data show that the literacy rate of 15-24 year-old women is higher in the southern region of the country, with the highest rates occurring in Maputo City (88.2%)and Maputo Province (75.8%), and the lowest in Zambézia (26.8%) and Tete (25.5%) Provinces.
In the rural areas female literacy is 31.3% while in the urban areas it is 70.1%.
The national average is 47.2%.

Source: Report on the Millennium Development Goals - Mozambique 2010

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